This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
The Tragic ☩ Divine
Copyright © 2019 Melody Felix-Prieto
Internal Design © 2019 by Nearly Famous Press, LLC
Cover Design by Dissect Designs
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Nearly Famous Press, LLC. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-7329677-1-7 (ebook)
LCCN: 2019936399
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Printed in U.S.A.
For my husband, Luis,
who never stopped believing in me.
CHAPTER
1
“Are you scared?” Dawn asked.
“Yes, I’m scared.” I crossed my arms as I focused my mind on counting the roadkill instead of the nerves that were bundling inside my stomach. “What if we get kidnapped, or drugged? Did you know another girl went missing last week?”
Dawn turned to me and said, “Nothing is going to happen to us because we have our very own bodyguard to protect us.” Dawn patted Julian on the arm. “Ain’t that right, boo?”
“I ain’t about to mess this piece of fine art for ‘yo ass,” Julian said waving a hand over his face. “I spent two whole hours on this masterpiece.”
We all burst out in laughter for so long, the tension in my body relaxed.
“Seriously? Two hours on eyeliner and glitter?” I teased.
“Perfection takes time,” Julian flashed his gorgeous honey brown eyes at me.
Breathing deeply, I let go of the fear that stirred in my chest and allowed myself to have fun. Before I knew it, the scenery changed. Bright flashes of light dashed by me, a sign we were out of the mountains. I straightened myself as soon as I saw the highway stretched before me, its smooth black roads looping in different directions going places I could only imagine. A twinge of excitement swelled in my belly. In one year, I will be navigating those roads on my way back home to Los Angeles. Back to the life I loved, the life I was forced to leave behind when my family moved to Dixon.
The city skyline began to take shape deep in the horizon enveloped by shimmering lights. I couldn’t help but catch my breath and take in the sight.
“We’re here,” Julian’s sing-song voice brought me back to reality.
I gazed out the window in awe of the tall buildings of downtown Atlanta and its labyrinth of noisy streets. A billboard of a female angel model sporting the latest Calvin Klein towered above me. I marveled at her long jealous-worthy hair that came down to her hips; her tan flawless skin, high cheekbones, and unearthly translucent gray eyes. The model’s black wings were folded at her sides as she posed with lips slightly parted.
Right as we passed the billboard, there were numerous flyers plastered all over the city’s concrete walls with missing girls. Underneath, Templar crosses were spray-painted in black along with a quote: ‘Save Humanity. Save the World.’
My excitement faded and the hairs on my arms raised. I searched for my sister among the smiling faces, even though I knew she wouldn’t be among them. Priscilla ran away from home seven years ago. I hadn’t seen her since.
As Julian’s lime-green Volkswagen Beetle cruised through Peachtree Road, it was buzzing with energy and alive with people hopping from one bar to the next. Hungry musicians filled the air with their music while the owners of Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s sat on the hood of their vehicles parked at an angle perpendicular to the road, flashing diamond studded necklaces, designer clothing, and women.
“Oh my God, is that an angel?” Dawn gasped pointing out the window.
My eyes quickly shifted to the angel wearing a police uniform guarding the streets. I rolled down the window to take a closer look when suddenly, the angel spread his black wings then took flight. I watched as he disappeared into the sky.
“Holy crap!” I shrieked. “Did you see that?”
“Yes!” Dawn joined me with the same level of excitement. “Angel boys are way hotter than human boys.”
“If you say so,” I scoffed even though Dawn was right. The angels were better looking than humans, faster, stronger, by far the superior race on Earth but I wasn’t about to jump on the angel bandwagon and admit it.
“You don’t think so?” Dawn asked as she dropped the sun visor admiring her reflection in the mirror and slathered another layer of lip gloss. Dawn’s been one of my best friends since I moved to Dixon. Unlike me, Dawn had style and wore a little bit too much makeup. It was the result of watching too many YouTube makeup tutorials and following popular style bloggers. She was the curvy, blue-eyed bombshell all the boys wanted to date because she had big boobs, I, on the other hand, was the lean, athletic tomboy they avoided because I was too much of a ‘shit-talker.’ It wasn’t my fault I was brutally honest.
“Ugh. Pretty boys with wings?” I muttered. “No, thank you.”
“Good. More for me.”
“Don’t forget me, girl,” Julian said with a flirty voice. “I don’t discriminate.”
Like Dawn, Julian’s been my best friend since middle school. He had the build of a linebacker, but the personality of a unicorn. Together, we were the three amigos.
The loud music from the bars reverberated through Julian’s car, I closed my eyes and felt the chilly wind of freedom. I was so busy taking in the energy of the city, I hadn’t realized the car stopped.
My mouth dropped. I stared at the enormous Gothic structure before me when I realized, “It’s a church.”
“Oh. My. God. We’re going to hell,” Dawn said wickedly. She rushed out of the car to the cathedral’s entrance where there was a long line of college-age girls, maybe even younger, dressed in tight revealing dresses and pumps. I felt underdressed.
“What is this? A strip club?” I scoffed with a sarcastic tone.
“Whatever this place is, it sure ain’t holy,” Julian miffed.
I scanned the cathedral as Julian, and I walked toward the line. There were large monstrous gargoyles perched along the roof looking down on the club goers like guards. That, paired with the ominous black paint the church, was covered in gave me the chills.
“This place looks freakin’ amazing!” Dawn gleamed.
“Yeah, I feel like I’m going to get zapped by lighting as soon as I step inside,” I said eyeing the place suspiciously. “Are you sure this is a teen nightclub? These girls look like they’re at least twenty-one.”
“Way ahead of you, honey.” Julian handed each of us an I.D. which looked as fake as Dawn’s eyelashes.
“Mable Johnson?” Dawn met Julian’s eyes with a dirty look.
“Mable is my meemaw’s name. What’s wrong with it?”
“No one in this century names their kid Mable!” Dawn screamed at him. Dawn snatched the I.D. card out of my hand. “What’s yours, Alexis?”
She looked down at the woman with dark sunken eyes staring back at her, she seemed older and looked nothing like me.
“Deedee Saint?” Dawn cocked her eye irritably at Julian. “We’re gonna get caught you, moron!”
“Bitch, you need to calm yourself. If you wanted fancy names
, you should’ve made them yourself,” Julian exclaimed.
Anxiety and fear ripped through my stomach at the thought of catching a ride in the back of a police car. I constructed all the possible excuses I could give my mother for sneaking out, but none of which she’d believe. Before I could gather up the courage to walk away, I noticed a short bald bouncer walking down the line with a security wand metal detector.
“Come on ladies, you know the drill, pull ‘em out,” he hollered down the line.
“Pull what out?” I thought out loud. One of the girls in front of me turned around as she rummaged through her handbag.
“They disable your camera before you can go inside,” she said. “They don’t like being photographed.”
They? I watched as the guard scanned everyone’s cell phone instantly disabling the camera.
“You two lied to me,” I said fuming with anger.
“Don’t blame me, it was her idea,” Julian said pointing the finger at Dawn who smiled at me innocently.
“So, I told a small lie to get you out of the house. Big deal.”
“It is a big deal. You told me we were going to a normal nightclub—with humans!” I combed a hand through my hair. “This is an angel nightclub. If my mother finds out I got arrested here for presenting a fake I.D. she’s going to decapitate my body and feed it to the rats.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Dawn said in a low voice. “We’re not going to get arrested.”
“You must be on medication if you think they’re going to let us go,” Julian told Dawn, arms crossed.
“You’re the one who made the I.D.’s genius!” Dawn retorted.
I rolled my eyes over how stupid, and clueless Dawn acted. “If anything, they’ll probably use us as an example for future underage intruders,” I said trying to prevent myself from having a panic attack.
I was about to step out of the line when I heard someone with a stern voice behind me say, “I.D.”
Even though I was too scared to move, I somehow managed to twist around slowly. My eyes were wide with terror as I stood face-to-face with the security guard.
“I.D.,” he said again with a cold demeanor. I sensed the irritation in his voice; I was getting on his nerves for holding up the line. Despite his short stature, the guard’s muscles bulged out of his black SECURITY t-shirt that looked significantly bigger than my head.
Taking my fake I.D. from Dawn, I gulped hard before handing it over. The security guard flashed a light over the card scanning for defects. He looked up at me quizzically which I returned with a nervous smile. He glanced down at the I.D. again trying to match the face on the card with mine.
“What’s your birthday?” he suddenly asked.
“Uh…” I began but couldn’t remember the date on the license. I dug deep in my subconscious when Julian whispered it to me from behind. “Actually, my birthday is in a few hours. October six.”
After a short pause, he handed back the I.D. and wrapped a bright red bracelet around my wrist with glowing angel wings. I blew out a sigh of relief.
I was safe…for now.
Inside, the Gothic architecture continued throughout the nightclub. Vaulted ceilings complete with stained glass windows surrounded the church. The colorful lights danced in unison with the techno-industrial music giving off a kaleidoscope effect. On one wall, a huge red neon sign that said EVE’S PARADISE hung over a garden filled with flower petals of crimson, yellows, oranges, and purples. The mural reminded me of Georgia O’keeffe’s famous flower paintings. Upon closer inspection, I noted it resembled the inside of a peach than a garden. I grimaced once I realized what it was.
What a bunch of pervs, I thought.
The dance floor was crowded with dancing bodies. It was dark and claustrophobic. It stood at the center of the church where the pews once stood. The bar was on the far-left corner of the room where the bartenders were busy mixing drinks to the thirsty crowd. As we got closer to the dance floor, I could see a giant electric-blue cross behind the D.J. who was spinning the wheels on the turntable from the pulpit front and center of an altarpiece where bikini-clad devil eared go-go dancers replaced statues of saints and angels. The dancers seduced the crowd with their dance moves and encouraged everyone to raise their hands in the air—which I found so overrated, but the crowd seemed to love it. They were going wild grinding their sweaty bodies on one another. The air felt rich with lust and desire, I thought I might catch an S.T.D.
“Whoa,” I let out.
“I know, right?” Dawn beamed.
Dixon was sunshine and flowers compared to this cesspool of sin. It was a completely different world than mine. I was inside the lion’s den and, although I would never admit it, it scared the hell out of me.
Dawn led the way and I clung on tightly to her arm, Julian not far behind. In every dark corner of the club, I could make out glimpses of couples making out and soon became aware of the nasty glares some of the girls shot my way over my choice of clothing. My black torn jeans and combat boots didn’t blend well inside the walls of Eve’s Paradise, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t there to impress anyone.
Dawn abruptly stopped causing me to bump my head against her back.
“What the hell Dawn?” I complained.
Then I noticed why. Dawn was gawking at the roped-off VIP section of the club. My eyes were like magnets. I found it hard to look away. They were unlike anyone I’d ever seen before. Like the angels on TV, their skin was smooth, luminous and perfectly symmetrical; jaws so defined they made human models look like gremlins. And the rest of us…well the rest of the human race paled in comparison. Their eyes were different colors with a glowing white halo that dazzled around the iris.
There were four of them, in their late teens, early twenties. One was slim but muscular with shoulder-length sandy blonde hair; he had the aura of a seventies rock star complete with a loose navy-blue Hawaiian shirt with images of skulls, roses and the Virgin Mary that was unbuttoned at the top exposing a chest full of hair. The one sitting next to him had a similar build, except his hair was brown and scruffy, his hands were covered with silver rings and Celtic tattoos. He wore a brown leather jacket with different colored pins and patches. The third was just as handsome as the rest, but his skin was light mocha, and his hair was dark, long and lustrous, he looked Native American. He wore a maroon bomber jacket with embroidered gold wings along the sleeves.
But it was the fourth who I felt instantly drawn to. He stood out above the rest and was even more attractive than the others. And I had a feeling he knew it too. His striking jet-black hair was tied in a ponytail which exposed his high cheekbones, bronzed skin, and perfectly chiseled face. Even though he was sitting, I could tell he had the build of an Olympic swimmer. He wore a gray V-neck shirt that exposed his toned collarbone, and a black classic double rider leather jacket similar to the one Marlon Brando wore in The Wild One.
I wasn’t surprised they were surrounded by quill lovers—or at least that’s what people called the groupies who were intimately involved with angels. One, in particular, was chewing gum and petting the wing of the Native American, as if he were her lapdog. There were at least two girls for each angel. But from the looks of it, it seemed the angel with the Hawaiian shirt was enjoying the company of the girls more than the others. The other three appeared uninterested and bored.
“Are they...”
“Angels.” Dawn finished the sentence for me.
“Break me off a piece of that,” Julian whispered from behind. My throat tightened at the sound of the word causing my emotions to conflict inside my brain. It was as if the devil and angel were on my shoulders pulling me apart. Rooted in my mind, I hated the angels because of my sister, but right now I hated myself even more for finding them attractive. Now I understood why girls were quick to drop their panties.
I was so focused on my inner battle, I didn’t realize he caught me staring. The angel with the black leather jacket. I immediately turned around lifting my arms awkwardly
in the air pretending to yawn, I almost hit the girl standing beside me, but she grabbed my arm before I could do any damage.
“I’m sorry,” I said embarrassed. Her hair was vibrant blue, and her eyes were a startling lilac. She was dressed in steampunk wear; leather pants, leather corset with a shrug that connected at the chest, and a leaf pouch belt—for her cell phone perhaps? She probably got lost on her way to a Goth club. And like the others, she was sharp-jawed and didn’t look a day over twenty. But her wings weren’t exposed, there wasn’t a bright halo in her eyes either. I wondered if she was one of them. Or a poser wearing contacts and a costume?
“Like what you see?” the girl asked with her lip curved upward and motioning with her eyes toward the VIP section.
I took another glimpse at the four angels behind the ropes, but the dark-haired one wasn’t there anymore. Annoyed at my disappointment, I shook my head.
“I do,” Dawn replied swiftly. But the blue-haired girl kept her gaze fixed on me ignoring Dawn.
“I can get you an introduction if you’d like,” she insisted.
“It’s okay.” Who the hell was this girl, anyway? Their pimp?
“I’ll be around if you change your mind,” she said. Then she went into the dance floor and got swallowed by the crowd.
“What is wrong with you?” Dawn asked completely horrified by my decision. “You could’ve taken the invitation and taken me through those pearly ropes!”
“I didn’t come here to get groped by angels.”
“But I did,” Dawn insisted.
“That’s a bad decision waiting to happen.” Julian grabbed our wrists and led us onto the dance floor. “Let’s go sweat out all our pent-up hormones.”
We squeezed through the sweaty bodies toward the middle of the dance floor and let loose without a care in the world. I allowed the music to flow through me, pulling me like a puppet on strings. We jumped. We screamed. We laughed. And watched Dawn shake her ass on a random stranger.
On the balcony above that wrapped around the church, I noticed a handful of angels watching. They looked down at the crowd, like a scientist observing his lab rats. The uniformity in their posture made me uneasy. They bore similar features as the angels from the VIP area. They whispered among each other, giggling as if they were sharing a private joke.
THE TRAGIC + DIVINE, Book 1 Page 1